I'm retired now, but I used to get anxious on Sunday nights about the week ahead. I called it the "Sunday Blues"—that familiar knot in my stomach that would start around dinnertime, thinking about Monday's meetings, Tuesday's deadlines, Wednesday's presentation I wasn't ready for.

I'd sit at the dinner table with my family, but I wasn't really there. My mind was already in conference rooms and inbox battles that hadn't happened yet. I'd watch movies with friends on Sunday evening, but I was mentally rehearsing conversations and worrying about problems that might never materialize.

Looking back, I realize I let the Sunday Blues waste perfectly good Sunday nights with the people I love most. I was so busy borrowing anxiety from the future that I missed the grace available in the present moment.

Jesus understood this struggle completely. Worry is like trying to live in two places at once— we're attempting to be present today while also trying to manage a tomorrow that hasn't arrived yet. Part of us is here, but another part is frantically planning for disasters that exist only in our imagination.

But notice Jesus's approach: he doesn't pretend tomorrow won't have challenges. He's refreshingly honest about it—"tomorrow will worry about itself." Problems will come. Difficulties are part of life. But tomorrow's troubles will arrive with tomorrow's grace, tomorrow's wisdom, and tomorrow's strength.

Today, however, has "enough trouble of its own." Not that today is miserable, but that today has enough real concerns, enough actual joys and responsibilities, enough present-moment opportunities to fully occupy our hearts and minds.

When we try to carry tomorrow's load on today's back, we're like someone packing for a trip by stuffing next week's clothes in today's suitcase. It doesn't make sense, and it makes today unnecessarily heavy.

I think about all those Sunday nights I missed because I was living in Monday. The conversations I half-heard because I was mentally composing emails. The laughter I didn't fully enjoy because I was rehearsing problems that mostly never happened anyway.

God gives us exactly what we need for each day, but he doesn't hand out advance portions. That would actually undermine our daily dependence on him, which is how trust grows deeper.

Planning responsibly for the future isn't the same as worrying about it. Jesus isn't advocating for irresponsibility. He's talking about the kind of anxiety that robs today of its joy without adding anything useful to tomorrow.

What would change if you really believed that today contains enough grace for today's challenges? What if you trusted that tomorrow's problems—if they even show up—will come with their own supply of wisdom and strength?

After all, you've never actually lived a day in the future. But you've made it through every single day that's already happened.

Maybe it's time to retire your own version of the Sunday Blues and show up fully for the people and moments that are actually here right now.

Father, help us trust you with the tomorrows we can't control while fully embracing the today you've given us. Teach us to receive each day's grace without trying to hoard what hasn't been offered yet. Amen.

This devotional was written and read by Cliff McCartney.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location,

I selected this passage during a trying week in the United States. It was the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States; Charlie Kirk, a political activist, was murdered during an event on a college campus, and two high school students in Colorado were injured in yet another school shooting.

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.

The week was a lot. But as sad as those events were, what saddened me most was the immediate finger-pointing regarding Kirk’s murder. Many were rushing to assign blame before any facts were available.

A man was killed. His murder was unacceptable. Children were injured in a school shooting, which is also unacceptable. But rather than mourn the fact that these events continue to occur in the United States, many chose to vilify the other.

I desperately wanted the conversation to change, then I saw this passage as a suggested verse for a devotional.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

In verses 9 and 10 of this chapter, we read,

Genuine love and mutual affection. Doesn’t that sound like what the world and our country need right now?

Our focus on loving our neighbors certainly seemed prescient in September. Charlie Kirk was our neighbor, but so was the shooter. The children in Colorado are our neighbors, but so was the young man who shot them. And those men who flew into the World Trade Center 24 years ago? Yes, they were our neighbors, too.

Love. That is what is good and acceptable and perfect. Jesus instructed us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Let that be our litmus test. Do our posts on social media reflect love of our neighbors? Do we want people to judge us the way we are tempted to judge others? May we focus on testing and discerning rather than reacting and misconstruing.

Let us pray as Jesus taught his disciples to pray.

Amen.

This devotional was written by Kathryn King.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First...

You are listening to Grace for All, a daily devotional podcast produced by the people of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee.

This is Scripture Saturday, a time when we pause and reflect on the scriptures we have read throughout the week. If you missed any of our devotionals on these passages, you can find them on our website at 1stChurch.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Now, we invite you to listen and receive Grace. Welcome and thank you for joining us.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.